Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien talks to his offense during a time out in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Browse through the photos to see a preview of the Texans' Thursday night game in Cincinnati.

1. The offensive line must provide rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson with better protection than they did against Jacksonville.

TEXANS’ 3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1. The offensive line must provide rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson with better protection than they did against Jacksonville.

Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

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2. The coaches have to do an improved job of utilizing rookie running back D’Onta Foreman, who needs to touch the ball 10 times.

2. The coaches have to do an improved job of utilizing rookie running back D’Onta Foreman, who needs to touch the ball 10 times.

Photo: Jason E. Miczek/Associated Press

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3. J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney need to combine for more than two tackles and ignite an impressive defensive renaissance.

3. J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney need to combine for more than two tackles and ignite an impressive defensive renaissance.

Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

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BENGALS’ 3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton must avoid a repeat of his Baltimore performance in which he threw four interceptions.

BENGALS’ 3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton must avoid a repeat of his Baltimore performance in which he threw four interceptions.

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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2. They need to get their running game going against a Texans’ defense that surrendered 155 yards rushing against Jacksonville.

2. They need to get their running game going against a Texans’ defense that surrendered 155 yards rushing against Jacksonville.

Photo: John Grieshop/Getty Images

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3. Former Texans kicker Randy Bullock could be in position to kick several field goals, and he has to come through to win.

3. Former Texans kicker Randy Bullock could be in position to kick several field goals, and he has to come through to win.

Photo: Gary Landers/Associated Press

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WHEN THE BENGALS RUN

One reason they got shut out by Baltimore was their inability to run the ball effectively. They ran 22 times for 77 yards, a 3.5-yard average per carry. They have three backs – Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill and rookie Joe Mixon – who are more than capable, but the Bengals got poor blocking against the Ravens. They know the Texans allowed 155 yards, including 100 by rookie Leonard Fournette, in their loss to Jacksonville. Coach Marvin Lewis would like to get Mixon, a talented rookie, more involved in the running game. He was limited to 9 yards on eight carries by the Ravens. Mixon has a nice combination of speed and power. They’d like to see if he can wear down the Texans’ defense the way Fournette did, but that’ll require improvement up front.

Andy Dalton played the worst game of his career against Baltimore. He completed 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) for 170 yards. He threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. His rating was 28.4. He was sacked five times. The Texans didn’t get much pressure on Blake Bortles and failed to sack him. If Dalton can be protected in similar fashion from pass rushers like J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus, he can find his favorite target, A.J. Green, who had five catches for 74 yards against Baltimore. Dalton threw five of his 16 completions to his backs, but they couldn’t get any yardage after the catch. The Texans’ secondary is coming off an impressive performance against Bortles, who completed only 11 passes for 125 yards.

They couldn’t get untracked on the ground against Jacksonville. They ran 23 times for 93 yards. Most of the damage on the ground was done when the Jaguars were playing the pass while nursing a big lead. Bill O’Brien calls the plays, and he must commit to the run early and don’t stop if it fails early. O’Brien has to get rookie D’Onta Foreman more involved in the offense. Lamar Miller and Foreman should be a potent one-two punch against a Cincinnati defense that surrendered 157 yards rushing to Baltimore. Miller needs to show some quickness and speed and get to the second level. Foreman needs to pound the ball between the tackles and not go down after the initial hit. He’s powerful enough to break arm tackles and get yards after contact.

Deshaun Watson was 12-of-23 for 102 yards and one touchdown coming off the bench in place of Tom Savage in the loss to Jacksonville. He threw an interception and lost a fumble. He was sacked four times. Expect him to throw on the run, something Savage doesn’t do well. He doesn’t have Savage’s arm or knowledge of the system, but he’s mobile and fearless. Bill O’Brien, who calls the plays, said this week he wants to target DeAndre Hopkins as much as possible. Hopkins was targeted 16 times against the Jaguars and had seven catches for 55 yards. Hopkins will draw a lot of double coverage. Watson needs to get him the ball without forcing it into coverage and risking interceptions. Getting back Jaelen Strong from his one-game suspension could be vital.